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What vegetables go well together in a garden?

Most veggies enjoy six or more hours of direct sunshine every day. The problem is that most vegetable gardens wind up in backyards, where trees, buildings, and other sun blockers may restrict sunny exposures. It’s useful to know what crops may be grown together to make the most of your given area. Companion planting is a ready-made option with potential advantages that extend well beyond conserving space.

Companion planting is a kind of botanical buddy system. It is meant to not only make the most use of all available space, but also to place plants in the best possible circumstances. This involves deciding which “friends” to match them with and which “enemies” to avoid. When done properly, companion planting may increase output while also protecting the garden from disease and insect damage.

Here’s how to choose which veggies to plant together, as well as planting techniques that will benefit your garden.

Contents

Factors That Affect How Well Plants Grow Together

When choose which veggies to grow together, keep the following aspects in mind:

Mature Size

While they may start little, consider the mature size of a plant before planting. Otherwise, a plant may take up more room than you anticipated and push out others. The seed packaging may provide the information you want for planting. It instructs you on how far apart to sow seeds and how to thin out little seedlings after they’ve sprouted so that the surviving plants have adequate room to grow. If you’re dealing with garden-ready plants rather than seeds, a plant tag will indicate suggested spacing to assist you in determining which veggies may be planted together.

Growth Patterns

Some plants, like maize, stand erect; others, like pole beans, climb; and still others, like squash, spread. Native Americans combined all three to optimize space and get additional benefits. The beans climbed up the cornstalks, using vertical growth space, but the squash vines grew horizontally by spreading on the ground. The huge squash leaves kept weeds at bay and the soil from scorching and breaking. When the beans perished, their roots dissolved and replaced the soil nitrogen that the maize had depleted. A typical rule of thumb when mixing plants is to match plants with contrasting behaviors or growth patterns. Pairing garlic, which grows largely belowground as a bulb, with spinach, which grows predominantly aboveground as a leafy plant, is one example.

Growth Rate

Combining slow-growing and fast-growing plants may succeed as long as the fast-growing partner does not drown out the slower-growing partner. Radishes, for example, are the jackrabbits of the vegetable world. Radishes may reach maturity in as little as 30 days. Carrots, on the other hand, may develop in 70 to 80 days. By spreading radish and carrot seeds together, you may take advantage of the varying development rates. The carrots will have more area to grow after the radishes are harvested.

Growing Season

Most vegetables are classified as either cold season or warm season. Following a chilly season crop with a warm season crop is one facet of companion planting. Warm season beans, for example, may thrive after cold season peas have finished. Some overlap is possible: on late April, little pepper plants may be sown on a bed of leaf lettuce. By the summer heat, the lettuce has bolted, or gone to seed, and may be plucked, enabling the pepper plants to take over.

Vegetables That Grow Well Together

Some plants grow well together, whereas others, such as carrots and dill, do not. Some plants emit a chemical that limits the development of neighboring plants, while others may attract additional pests. Highly aromatic plants, on the other hand, such as sage or rosemary, may divert insect or animal pests away from more desirable plants. Vegetables that grow nicely together in the garden include:

  • Basil and tomatoes
  • Radishes and lettuce
  • Peas and carrots
  • Pumpkins or squash and corn
  • Beets and onions
  • Potatoes and eggplants

Planting Strategies

Monocultures are uncommon in nature (apart from the odd aspen grove!). Instead, a diversity of plants coexist, making it difficult for pests to find target plants and limiting disease progression. Companion planting expands on this concept. Planting marigolds across a food garden, for example, helps protect tomato plants against soil nematodes. And clover may keep rabbits away from your veggies while also increasing nitrogen levels in the soil. Intersperse companion plants in each row or position them in neighboring rows if row planting. Another option is to plant in self-contained pockets or “neighborhoods,” with one variety of plant surrounded by another.

Mixing Ornamentals and Edible Plants

The practice of interplanting food and decorative plants is one to keep an eye on. Its appeal stems from the fact that it enables you to begin growing food in your front yard. Even if zoning regulations or homeowner association restrictions ban front-yard vegetable gardens, it’s doubtful that you’ll be allowed to plant Swiss chard and kale amid your flowers or chives beside your rosebushes. Purple leaf lettuce types are excellent border plants, and many herbs look well in a rock garden.

You may optimize your garden and make the most of your area by pairing veggies that grow well together.

Related Questions

  • What vegetables should be planted together?

    Which Vegetables Grow Well Together?

    Vegetable Companion Plant Don’t Plant Together
    Peas Beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, radish, turnip Garlic, onions
    Potatoes Beans, corn, peas Tomatoes
    Squash Corn, melons, pumpkins None
    Tomatoes Carrots, celery, cucumbers, onions, peppers Corn, potatoes, kohlrabi
  • What veggies should not be planted together?

    Don’t Grow These Vegetables Next to Each Other

    1. Beans and Onions.
    2. Tomatoes and Corn.
    3. Potatoes and Sunflowers.
    4. Asparagus and Garlic.
    5. Celery and Carrots.
    6. Eggplant and Fennel.
    7. Cucumber and Rosemary.
    8. Lettuce and Garlic.
  • What vegetables can grow together in a garden bed?

    Companion Planting Chart

    Type of Vegetable Friends
    Cabbage Beets, celery, chard, lettuce, spinach, onions
    Carrots Beans, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, tomatoes
    Corn Cucumber, marjoram, peas, pumpkins, squash, sunflowers, and zucchini
    Onions Cauliflower, carrots, chard, lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes
  • How should I arrange my vegetable garden?

    Aim to plant crops in triangles rather than rows.
    Pay attention to how you arrange your plants to get the most out of each bed. Planting in squares or rows is not recommended. Instead, plant in triangles to stagger the plants. This allows you to accommodate 10 to 14% more plants in each bed.

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